Coroner's office IDs man found beside railroad tracks

The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office has released the name of a man whose body was found beside a set of railroad tracks near Crescent Avenue.

By Daniel J. Grossdaniel.gross@shj.com

The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office has released the name of a man whose body was found beside railroad tracks near Crescent Avenue Sunday evening.Family members and a friend helped identify Ray Anthony Thompson, 52, of 1010 Carson Avenue.Thompson’s home is about 200 yards from the location where his body was found, and he often used a trail through a wooded area to cross the tracks.An employee on a passing CSX train spotted Thompson’s body lying near the tracks near the intersection of Crescent and South Irwin avenues at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.An incident report from the Spartanburg Police Department states Thompson was found lying on his side with his hands under his head. An officer observed “severe trauma” to both of Thompson’s legs, the report states.Coroner Rusty Clevenger said an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of his death, but authorities do not suspect foul play.Coroner’s Investigator Dwayne Corn said Sunday there was no evidence to suggest that Thompson’s death is related to a CSX train derailment Friday near Daniel Morgan Avenue in Spartanburg.“He made that path,” said Joshua Smith, Thompson’s nephew.Friends and family gathered at Thompson’s house Monday to mourn the loss.Smith said Thompson created a path from his home on Carson Avenue to the Side-Traxx Convenience Store, which is off Crescent Avenue on the other side of the CSX railway. He had used the path to walk to and from the convenience store for the past 10 years, Smith said.He said Thompson did not have any children, but raised him since he was a toddler. “I remember when he’d walk me to school over at Park Hills Elementary,” Smith said. “He was a good man. He liked the kids. He was always around talking and joking with everybody.”The manner of death remains under investigation pending autopsy and toxicology results, Corn said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.